The use of external braces to provide support to and limit movement of human joints is well known. For example, knee braces have been used extensively in the course of rehabilitation of the knee. Such knee braces have proven to be so successful that they are now used in place of the immobilizing knee casts commonly associated with knee surgery. The resulting advancement in the rehabilitation of knee injuries is directly related to the realization that early active motion of a joint following reconstructive surgery is essential to an expedited and complete healing process.
Distal radial fractures are the most common fracture occurring in humans, with frequency estimates ranging as high as 350,000 or more per year in the United States alone. Many physicians find that patients suffering from distal radial fractures ar subjected to a persistent disability which lingers despite the healing of the radius. This disability is related to a failure to restore a normal anatomical orientation between the carpus bones and the radial bone. It is necessary that the fracture be subjected to an accurate and continuous reduction force. Further, early active motion of the radiocarpal joint is desirable in order to expedite the healing process.